NESG tasks Food producers on food fortification compliance, workforce nutrition

In a bid to ensuring that food fortification is established in the industrial levels to foods commonly consumed by large populations and workforce nutrition for economic growth and development, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), in collaboration with eHealth Africa and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) went on an advocacy visit to Flour Mills Nigeria (FMN) Plc, in Lagos recently.

 

 

According to research, dietary risk factors are estimated to contribute to 11 million fatalities worldwide yearly (20% of all deaths) and the loss of 255 million disability-adjusted years of life owing to illness, disability, or early death. This is due to the high economic burden of Vitamins and Mineral Deficiencies (MND) and the relatively low cost of adding vitamins and minerals.

Its therefore on this regards, that economists have concluded that food fortification and workforce nutrition are among the most cost-effective investments in national economic development, hence the tour by both organisations with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of micronutrient deficiency and to advise on effective strategies for addressing it.

 

Thematic Lead, Input and Distribution Thematic Group, Agriculture and Food Security Policy Commission of the NESG, Dianabasi Akpainyang, stated that the importance of workforce nutrition in Nigeria could not be overstated. He noted that while working-class individuals spend one-third of the day within the work environment (an average of 8 hours), a good percentage of such workers do not eat healthy within this time for reasons such as availability and affordability.

 

Akpainyang urged the company to promote workforce nutrition among staff members, adding that a well-nourished workforce was essential for economic growth and development.

“Workforce nutrition could reduce absenteeism, improve workers’ productivity, reduce healthcare costs, and increase employee morale while also encouraging the company to ensure its workers eat food fortified with essential vitamins and minerals,” he said.

Akpainyang while urging the government to partner with the private sector in promoting food fortification in Nigeria, said, “The government can do this by developing and implementing policies that support food fortification, such as mandatory fortification standards and financial incentives for food producers. The private sector can do this by investing in food fortification equipment and by producing and marketing fortified foods.”

He used the medium to urge the company to ensure their workers eat fortified meals, noting that consuming food fortified with all nutrients would improve their productivity and prevent micronutrient deficiencies.

 

Also, Senior Programme Officer, CISLAC, Muhammed Murtala, said that establishing a laboratory for testing fortification in Nigeria would help to ensure that Nigerians have access to safe and nutritious food.

 

According to him, fortification is the process of adding vitamins and minerals to food, and it is a public health strategy used to improve a population’s nutritional status and prevent micronutrient deficiencies. Adding that the need for a testing laboratory was a significant obstacle to the effective implementation of the mandatory food fortification programme in Nigeria.

Manager, Quality Control, FMN, Jessica Nworgu, who spoke earlier, urged the government to equip its laboratory and ensure the workers had the technical know-how to carry out sample testing.

“I wish that the regulatory bodies like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have good laboratories. I feel that part of their problems is the technical know-how, and if they have the technical know-how and are trained with the right equipment to carry out these tests, it will go a long way. If we have good laboratories, private laboratories or even advocacy laboratories that can be set for the manufacturing company, It will be wonderful,” she said.

 

She also complained about the cost of production for the Vitamin A premix, a fortification micronutrient, the recommended tariff of 20 per cent against five per cent, among others.

At a visit to Dangote Salt Limited, Dangote Quality Assurance/Control Head, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Danjuma Musa, said, Dangote salt, irrespective of the end user, was fortified with Iodine that would help the growth and development of the human body, “Fortification of salt with Iodine is a safe and effective way to prevent iodine deficiency,” he said.

“Iodine fortification of salt is a mandatory requirement in Nigeria. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has established a standard for the iodine content of fortified salt,” he noted.

Adding, Head of Health Safety and Sustainability, Ms Disoye Oba, said that NASCON Allied Ltd is a foremost salt refinery company in Nigeria that produces about 40 tonnes of refined salt per hour, nothing that the company is conscious of her Corporate Social Responsibility, which has necessitated holding capacity programs, renovation of public toilets, digital finance training, youth empowerment training and social impact assessment and sustainability report training. “The company was ISO9001 & ISO 22000 certified,” she revealed.

Human Resource Manager, Dangote Salt, Helen Omoba, also disclosed that the company had implemented a fortified meal plan that would benefit their employees and the company.

The highlight of the visit was a tour of the company’s canteen to check if workers were fed with fortified food, a visit to the store where fortificants were kept and how they were mixed.